CREDIT CARDS

To check which bank issued your current credit card, look at the small print on the back. See if it matches a green bank listed below. Or, if it lists TCM (Total Card Management) Bank, then you already have a green credit card. TCM services community banks and those do not usually invest in the fossil fuel industry, nor tobacco, nor private prisons. Typically a green bank will offer a green credit or debit card; just ask. Green America has its own VISA credit card. Others are: FutureCard which rewards low-carbon spending like biking and EV charging, and Evergreen (by FNBO) which is community focused. Many green credit cards offer rewards, especially for green purchases.

See the Green America website for answers to frequently asked questions about switching your credit cards, including whether your card will work overseas and for cash withdrawals, what will happen to reward airline miles, and whether your credit rating will be impacted.

GREEN BANKS

Avoid JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Citibank. They have been the US leaders for many years in loans to the fossil fuel industry.

Green banks include: credit unions, Beneficial State Bank (closest is Oakland), Amalgamated Bank and Atmos Bank (closest are San Francisco), and Aspiration Bank (online only). Poppy Bank (Rossmoor Shopping Center) is not a "green bank" in the sense of being a mission-driven institution focused on financing clean energy and fighting climate change, but it does not invest in the fossil fuel industry.

Consider using a green bank for your checking and savings accounts as well as your credit cards. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (official website of the US government) offers guidance on how to move your checking account.